Epigram Books Fiction Prize 2015 Judging Panel Named

SINGAPORE, 15 April 2015—We are pleased to announce the names of the three persons who will join the judging panel for the inaugural Epigram Books Fiction Prize 2015.

They are Philip Holden, Adrian Tan and Janice Koh who will join the panel chaired by Edmund Wee, the publisher and CEO of Epigram Books.

Philip Holden is a professor in the Department of English Language and Literature at the National University of Singapore. His research specialisation is in Southeast Asian and transnational literatures, as well as postcolonial and gender studies. He has published many academic articles on Singapore literature and co-edited Writing Singapore: An Historical Anthology of Singapore Literature. On his appointment to the panel, Prof Holden says: “Singapore has produced a number of superb poetry and short story collections over the last two decades. We haven’t yet seen a new generation of novelists make such a strong impact. I very much hope that this pathbreaking prize will mark the beginning of a revival in the novel’s fortunes, and I’m honoured and excited to have the chance to read the submitted manuscripts.”

Adrian Tan is the author of the best-selling novels The Teenage Textbook and The Teenage Workbook. He wrote them over 20 years ago when he was an undergraduate. They sold over 50,000 copies and the first was made into a movie and later stage play. This year, it was selected by The Business Times as one of the top 10 English Singapore books published in the last 50 years. He has also been described as “a tenacious litigator with two decades of experience.” Of his appointment as a judge, he says “I am honoured to accept your invitation to be a judge. This should be fun.”

Janice Koh is a leading stage and television actress. She won the Life! Theatre Best Actress Award in 2003 and was nominated again in 2008. In 2010, her performance as an ambitious lawyer on the MediaCorp legal drama, The Pupil earned her an Asian Television Awards nomination for Best Performance by an Actress in a Leading Role. More recently, she played the quirky mom of Amos Lee in the television series based on Adeline Foo’s The Diary of Amos Lee series of books. She was the last Nominated Member of Parliament for the arts. She says of her appointment as a judge, “I would be honoured to be part of the judging panel.”

Edmund Wee is the founder of Epigram Books. In 2008, he was recognised for his contribution to design in Singapore when he was named Designer of the Year in the President’s Design Award. He started Epigram Books in 2011 to champion Singapore literature.

For interview opportunities or further media enquiries, please contact Ilangoh Thanabalan at ilangoh@epigrambooks.sg or +65 6292 4456.